Childhood obesity is on the rise both within the United States and throughout the world. This condition poses a serious problem not only for the affected children, but for the burden on public health and the healthcare system at large. Obesity is associated with many co-morbidities, including vascular diseases such as hypertension and heart disease, chronic inflammation, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, as well as full blown type 2 diabetes.
In addition to extensive documentation of the association between childhood obesity and poor health outcomes, a number of studies document the positive effects that physical activity has in reducing the risk of poor health outcomes associated with obesity, including reductions in the development of diabetes and heart disease. Physical activity also helps control weight, promotes psychological well-being, and reduces the risk of premature death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that young people engage in at least 1 hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day to maintain good health.
While the positive effects of regular physical activity are well documented, motivation to maintain adequate levels of activity over the long term is often lacking. Many young people engage in sedentary behaviors (e.g., watching TV, surfing the Internet) and do not meet the CDC recommendations for physical activity. Research has found that physical activity rates decline with age among young people, with overall levels of physical activity typically beginning to decrease when children are of middle school age.
It is recognized that fun, engaging games or related products that require physical activity can be a way to increase physical activity among young people. To succeed in increasing physical activity, games need to appeal to the target population and to fit easily within the existing social, educational, and cultural environment.
Accordingly, there is a need in the commercial and healthcare product markets for smart games and related products that address and counter the growing tendency toward sedentary behaviors and that are directed toward the specific goal of increasing the overall level of physical activity of those who play the game or use the product. To succeed in this goal, products need to be easy to use, and have a quick appeal that can also be sustained over the long term. It is further desirable that such products are safe and require minimal adult supervision. Most of all, the games must be effective at their fundamental goal, which is to increase levels of physical activity.
Jump ropes are well known exercise devices suitable for children. Modifications to the basic jump-rope have been suggested to enhance enjoyment and to encourage more widespread use. However, none of these devices actively encourage and train user activity.
For example, lighted jump ropes, or jump ropes that illuminate all or a part of their length, have been described. U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,808 teaches an “illuminated rope” comprising a translucent fiber optic core with translucent rope surrounding it. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,909 teaches an illuminated rope having a wire-formed light source including a flexible translucent sheathing and elongate flexible cover. U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,766 describes a fiber optic jump-rope including a transparent flexible jump-rope that is a hollow tube in which multiple fiber optic cables are situated. U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,056 teaches an illuminated jump-rope with a hollow, flexible tubular rope and plurality of light bulbs with spherical translucent covers therein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,034 describes a lighted jump-rope with a translucent tube and discrete light-emitting elements inserted through slits in the translucent tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,585 describes an electrically lighted jump rope. U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,193 also teaches an illuminatable jump-rope that has two sets of battery operated illuminators, one on each handle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,118 describes a specific way of forming an illuminated rope. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,508 teaches a jump-rope having a string of lights that can be turned on and off in a pattern.
A number of references also teach musical jump ropes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,947 describes a jump-rope that plays a song when the rope is being swung. U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,636 teaches a jump-rope that plays music and can overlay the music with sound effects or sound segments during use.
None of these modified jump ropes provides an interactive, user-responsive jump-rope that can actively encourage and guide physical activity. Described herein are jump ropes that respond and guide user activity by providing rhythmic sounds (e.g., music) and engaging visual cues to guide the user's activity in response to the rhythm provided.